Artwork by Hilary Cole
“When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy
Boris Schleinkofer, poetrywatch editor
Subject matter is unlimited, but poetry featuring or specific to Whatcom County and issues addressed by Whatcom Watch (government, the environment and media) will likely get first preference. Please keep it to around 25 lines; otherwise, we might have to edit your work to fit. Don’t make yourself unprintable. Send poems and your short, two- or three-sentence bios as a word document attachment to poetry@whatcomwatch.org. The deadline is the first day of the month.
Please understand that acceptance and final appearance of pieces are subject to space constraints and editorial requirements. By submitting, authors give Whatcom Watch permission for one-time publication rights in the paper and electronic editions.
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artificial intelligence
by Luther Allen
the world is weighed down by our thoughts,
imprisoned by our greed and irresponsibility.
the weight, the hunger of all those thoughts
in data centers, like cancers, sucking power
from innocent rivers and old buried seas and swamps
and the nuclear forever and the uncaring sun.
sucking their power from the future —
droughts and floods and crazed heat and crazed cold.
and these digitized thoughts will tell us exactly
why we have disappeared.
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Luther Allen writes poems from his mostly unmanaged 10 acres of mountainside near Bellingham. He has published two volumes of poetry: “The View from Lummi Island” and “A Spiritual Th read” (see https://othermindpress.wordpress.com).
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Same Time, Same Place
by Margaret Wild
As the early morning traffic
Begins to fill the streets
And the sun brings light to the sky,
A gentle gust of wind winds its way
Around the corner of my tall apartment building.
By the time I sit down for breakfast
5 to 7 seagulls start to ride the wind
Hugging the corner of the building
Where I sit.
I am spellbound by their graceful gliding
So close to the corner of tall windows
Where I can catch a close look into
Their curious eyes, looking back at me.
Then they take off to make large
Circles farther away, flying freestyle.
Eventually they disappear for the day
Only to return the following morning:
Same time, same place.
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Margaret Wild has been a lifelong fan of nature and is known as an advocate for healthcare reform. Her poems reflect her concern for the well-being of our changing environment.
